The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has begun an unprecedented recall of 12,904 Irish passport books and cards after discovering that a software update left the country code “IRL” missing from the machine-readable zone on documents printed between 23 December 2025 and 6 January 2026. Although the passports look normal to the naked eye, the omission means they fail International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and may not be recognised by eGates or airline scanners, creating a risk of denied boarding or refusal of entry abroad. (irishtimes.com)
Holders affected have been emailed by the Passport Service and are being asked to return their documents by registered post or through Irish embassies and consulates. Replacement passports will be issued free of charge within ten working days; each replacement carries a new number, meaning travellers who have already secured electronic travel authorisations such as ESTA for the United States will need to re-apply. Border agencies worldwide have been notified via the ICAO Public Key Directory to minimise disruption at checkpoints. (irishnews.com)
Travellers who now need to re-apply for visas, ESTAs or other entry permits because of the new passport numbers can save time by using VisaHQ’s online service, which guides Irish citizens through every step of the application process and offers real-time tracking for more than 200 destinations. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/
![Irish Government Recalls Nearly 13,000 Passports After Machine-Readable Code Omitted]()
Business-travel consultants warn that corporate mobility managers should immediately audit employee passport numbers against upcoming itineraries, especially for high-volume routes to the US, Canada and the Gulf where automated gates predominate. Airlines flying out of Dublin are allowing ticket-name changes without penalty for affected passengers, but industry sources say the financial impact on carriers could exceed €2 million in rebooking costs.
The incident has revived debate about the resilience of Ireland’s passport-production platform—one of the most automated in Europe—as unions claim staffing levels at the Mount Street facility are too low to provide manual back-up should another glitch occur. Opposition TDs are calling for an independent review of IT change-control procedures, while the DFA says an external cyber-security firm has been retained to certify fixes before printing resumes at full speed.
For Irish expatriates, the recall carries extra urgency. Those living outside the EU are being advised to use their public-service cards or certified copies of their birth certificates for banking, tax and visa renewals while they await replacement documents. Irish missions in New York, Sydney and Dubai have set up dedicated counters to prioritise emergency travel for citizens with imminent flights, weddings or funerals.
Holders affected have been emailed by the Passport Service and are being asked to return their documents by registered post or through Irish embassies and consulates. Replacement passports will be issued free of charge within ten working days; each replacement carries a new number, meaning travellers who have already secured electronic travel authorisations such as ESTA for the United States will need to re-apply. Border agencies worldwide have been notified via the ICAO Public Key Directory to minimise disruption at checkpoints. (irishnews.com)
Travellers who now need to re-apply for visas, ESTAs or other entry permits because of the new passport numbers can save time by using VisaHQ’s online service, which guides Irish citizens through every step of the application process and offers real-time tracking for more than 200 destinations. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/
Business-travel consultants warn that corporate mobility managers should immediately audit employee passport numbers against upcoming itineraries, especially for high-volume routes to the US, Canada and the Gulf where automated gates predominate. Airlines flying out of Dublin are allowing ticket-name changes without penalty for affected passengers, but industry sources say the financial impact on carriers could exceed €2 million in rebooking costs.
The incident has revived debate about the resilience of Ireland’s passport-production platform—one of the most automated in Europe—as unions claim staffing levels at the Mount Street facility are too low to provide manual back-up should another glitch occur. Opposition TDs are calling for an independent review of IT change-control procedures, while the DFA says an external cyber-security firm has been retained to certify fixes before printing resumes at full speed.
For Irish expatriates, the recall carries extra urgency. Those living outside the EU are being advised to use their public-service cards or certified copies of their birth certificates for banking, tax and visa renewals while they await replacement documents. Irish missions in New York, Sydney and Dubai have set up dedicated counters to prioritise emergency travel for citizens with imminent flights, weddings or funerals.
